1 Corinthians 11:4-7

⁴Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. ⁶For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. ⁷A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

Glory

Have you ever tried to internalize the meaning of the word “glory”? There is no exact word synonymous to the term glory. Glory is a mixture or combination of magnificence, splendor, beauty, wonder, grandeur or brilliance worthy of honor, respect, praise, worship, admiration, gratification, exaltation and delight.

If you have seen it, if you have tasted it, if you have heard it, if you have touched it, if you have smelled it, if you have used all your senses, and without forcing the issue, you cannot help but to praise with delight and awe, that is how glory affect anybody. Yes, anybody, religious or not will be overwhelmed with astonishment, admiration and respect when we see the glory of God face to face.

How do you describe the glory of God? As practical manifestation of the glorious splendor and beauty of our Creator, just look at the endless beauty of his creation in the entire universe. Anything that causes delight and admiration in this world has its origin from our Almighty Lord God. The limited description of the glory of the Lord is told in Ezekiel 1:28, ²⁸Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown.

When it rains, you expect a beautiful rainbow to appear above the clouds. God Almighty designed the beauty of the rainbow as magnificent reflection of his glory that human eyes can see and appreciate. His glory inspires worship of God.

Do you bow down as practical expression of your worship of God? Bowing down symbolizes humility, submission, honor and respect. Bowing down implies worshippers are overwhelmed by the glorious appearance of God. Ezekiel bowed down, why? The glorious splendor of God was overwhelming for his eyes to see.

Some theologians suggest that when we bow down in worship of God, we also imply that we are ready to serve the Lord. Slaves bow down before masters ready to serve. Slaves are ready to serve their master, why? When their master is delighted in their service, slaves trust that they would be well-compensated.

Christ freed us from slavery of sin, and we accepted him as our Lord and Savior. Spiritually, we become slaves to righteousness. We should behave in righteousness always, or else, we slide back into slavery of sin. Let’s reflect on what it says in 2 Peter 2:20-22, ²⁰If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. ²¹It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. ²²Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

It is not admirable to be compared to a dog returning to its vomit, and to be compared to pigs returning to wallowing in the mud is disgusting. It is shameful. Yet, these days, people would prefer pigs as their pet. Do you prefer pigs as pet?

Giving bath to pigs is necessary, especially in summer. Pigs in the open field return to wallowing in the mud, even after they’ve taken a shower. Pigs that had been cleaned and returned to wallowing in the mud or dogs returning to its vomit illustrate Christians who are entangled by worldly behaviors. It’s a shame!

By faith, we believe that when Christ shed his blood on the cross, the Lord washed our sins away. So, it shames the Savior to backslide to sin. Right?

1.  Shame

    ⁴Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.

The Scripture declares that Christ is the head of every man and we should follow the examples of Christ. Apostle Paul challenged the church in Corinth to follow his examples as he followed Christ. He praised them for remembering him and holding onto and practicing the Christian traditions that he passed onto them.

One particular Christian tradition that Apostle Paul passed onto the church in Corinth was for every man not to cover his head when praying or prophesying. The term “prophesying” is also interpreted as “preaching the word of God.”

What do you think? Does it dishonor Christ? Does it shame Christ to wear hat, veil, bonnet or toque when praying or preaching the word of God?

What had made Apostle Paul require Corinthian men not to cover their head while praying or preaching? There’s no clear explanation in the Scripture.

Men pray or preach without cover on their head, this tradition that Apostle Paul passed onto to the church in Corinth attracted contradicting interpretations from scholars and theologians. Apostle Paul never mentioned his rationales or reasons for such tradition except to bring honor and respect to Christ, the head.

So, why did Apostle Paul require the church of Corinth that men should not cover their head when they pray or preach? Here is a safer interpretation: Rather than any other reason, such tradition that the church in Corinth practiced served as Christian identity. They exemplified respect and honor of Christ, the head.

Together, let us reflect on Ephesians 1:20-23, ²⁰God raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²²And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Personally, how could we internalize that Christ had been given authority as head over everything for the church? We practice church traditions that aren’t biblically obvious; they are expressions of honor and respect for Christ our Lord.

We can wear whatever is cozy or convenient to us anytime; but whenever we pray, preach or worship God, we should be mindful that we behave in respect and honor to Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is interestingly; the Scripture teaches that we will reign with Christ. How do we interpret 2 Timothy 2:11-13?

¹¹Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; ¹²if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; ¹³if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

How do we interpret reigning with Christ? Does reign with Christ means that we are given authority? What is the scope of our authority? The Scripture declares that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Christ. So, our authority when we reign with Christ is never equal to the authority of Christ, but appropriately essential for unity in the body of Christ, the church.

Church Leaders

In the church, we elect ministry leaders. The authority of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees is defined in the Constitution and By-Laws of the church; the authority of leaders is defined in the Constitution and By-Laws of the church. As a church, we perform collaboratively for the glory of Jesus Christ, the head of the church. Church tradition or defined by the Constitution and By-Laws of the church, our behavior should bring honor and respect to Christ.

So when we participate in the ministry, we should reflect: “How can I bring glory to Christ? How should my performance bring honor and respect to Christ?”

Whether private activity or participation in the ministry, we store up for ourselves treasures in heaven when we prioritize Christ in everything we do.

Together now, let us reflect on what it admonishes in Colossians 3:23-25,

²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ²⁵Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

Apostle Paul passed Christian traditions onto the Corinthians for unity not division. Men should not cover their heads when they pray, but when wives pray, they should cover their head. The head of wife is her husband. When wives pray, uncovered head was disgraceful to their husbands similar to shaved head.

2.  Shave

⁵But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. ⁶For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

Men should cut off or shave their hair. In contrast, to shave or cut off their hair was embarrassing for women in the first century Christianity. What does it mean in the biblical Hebrew culture, if a wife has her hair cut off or shaved?

How should we interpret what it required in Deuteronomy 21:10-12?

¹⁰When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, ¹¹if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. ¹²Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails.

In Hebrew culture, wives with hair cut off or shaved head implies that they were former captives; they were forced to become wives of their captors. It was not very dignified but disgraceful situation among Hebrews. It’s viewed as fashion in modern times for women who prefer to cut off their hair or shave their head!

Actually, it is very convenient to have short hair. Short hair requires less preparation time, shampoo or conditioner. Short hair is financially economical.

Whether you cut off your hair or shave your head, cover or uncover your head, such tradition in the Corinthian church teaches us that in all decisions we make, our priority is to bring honor and glory to God our heavenly Father. It is more about Christian dignity and avoidance of causing anyone to stumble.

Below the Knee

We can choose what is convenient to us. We are free to wear whatever we want to wear outdoors. But for safety and avoidance of abusive individuals, it is smart and clever move to wear conservative outfit, especially when surrounded by strangers. Conservative outfit minimize getting attraction from abusive people.

For women in the church, we encourage you to observe below the knee propriety if you wear skirts. It is modest and decent; it minimizes attraction of possible undesirable comments from conservative mindset. Decency of outfit is also an expression of honor and respect to Christ, the head of the church.

I hope that each of us can memorize what it says in 1 Timothy 2:9-10, ⁹I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, ¹⁰but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

Proper decorum about clothing should always be observed whenever we enter the Sanctuary of the church. You can wear whatever is convenient to you somewhere else, but we should not attract attention whenever we gather to worship God. As church tradition, we ought to practice decency; we should.

3.  Should

⁷A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

How do we properly interpret the tradition in Corinth when men and women prayed or preached? To follow such tradition or to disregard it is debatable in our generation. But we can agree that our church priority is to bring glory to God.

When Apostle Paul passed onto the tradition for the Corinthians to follow, it is safe to interpret that his very purpose was to remind that God created mankind in his image. As the image of God, mankind is the glory of God. Our behavior, attitude, manner or habit should reflect our faith that we are children of God.

Moreover, behavior, attitude, manner or habit reflect upbringing at home.

Reflect on Ephesians 6:4, ⁴Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.

Parents can only do so much. Children may choose to practice faith in God or follow their human instinct. We desire that they seriously consider their eternal residency. Do you trust that God has designed each life for his glory? We then pray that our children may avoid tragic consequences of rebellion to the Lord.

Whenever children behavior catches attention of spectators, parenting is almost always associated. Is there similar biblical situation? Together, let’s reflect on what happened in John 9:1-3, ¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

The blind was pitiful but culturally, people assumed that sin had caused his blindness. So, instead of having pity toward the blind, blame game was played. It would have been tragic embarrassment and unpleasant situation for the parents of the blind, especially among religious gathering in the synagogue.

Christian parents can identify with blame game situation. Parents who are very active participating in the church may wish children to follow their example of devotion to God, but it is never a reality for every parent. If children are active in the ministry, their parents sense glorious blessing and gratitude of heart.

Yet, as much as we desire and pray for our children to serve God faithfully, attraction of the world is so fascinating that many children prefer to join the rat race. What can we do parents? We continue to behave, practice and follow the examples of Christ and by faith, hold fast on what it says in 1 Corinthians 10:13,

¹³No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

The celebration of the Lord’s Supper reminds us that Christ obeyed God even unto his death because he trusted that God’s plan of salvation is designed for his eternal glory and praise. Christ exemplified that obedience even unto his death is dramatically worthy of glory and praise. Glory to God forever, amen!

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